The iconic 1980’s East Village art scene is brought effectively and memorably to life in director Brian Vincent’s Make Me Famous –a study of the life and death (in 2007) of the era’s most charismatic but lesser-known painters, Edward Brezinski.
Born in Detroit, Brezinski studied in San Francisco and then moved to New York, where he rubbed shoulders with bright lights like Jean-Michel Basquiat and David Wojnarowicz and jostled for recognition and fame alongside a host of other newcomers. Through a cavalcade of interviews with legends of the period, like Kenny Scharf, Annina Nosei and Marguerite Van Cook, Vincent captures a vivid snapshot of a particular moment in time while simultaneously pulling together a portrait of a brilliant yet unsung artist fighting for the recognition he deserved.
Not all of the stories and walks down memory lane are flattering for Brezinski. Still, there seems to be a consensus that his artistic talent was great but likewise that his bad behaviour often eclipsed his abilities. In fact, the two most talked about moments in his career came from acting out. First, he threw a glass of red wine in the face of gallery owner Nosei (who holds no grudge, graciously recounting the incident for the film) at a Soho opening, then he ate a donut that was part of an exhibit of Robert Gober’s. The latter required a well-publicized trip to the hospital because of the toxic preservative Gober had used on the items in his display. The donut-eating incident was so memorable that it was one of the few events mentioned in Brezinski’s obituary.
Unhappy with the commodification of art in galleries and probably, more to the point, fed up with owners’ lack of interest in his paintings, Brezinski opened his own pseudo-gallery in his dilapidated six-storey walk-up in the East Village, across the street from a men’s homeless shelter. Through extensive VHS footage, Make Me Famous allows viewers to act as a fly on the wall during numerous parties and salons. It extends audiences the opportunity to see Edward in action, in character as the man he wanted the world to see. As someone fascinated by other art and artists, but also as an eager opportunist. Anything to get noticed, after all. The space became a frequent spot to see and be seen but it didn’t garner the artist any meaningful connections or break-throughs.
Disillusioned by the state of things, and possibly due to fact that many of his supporters and friends within the gay community had been ravaged by the AIDS epidemic, Brezinski abandons New York for East Berlin. Via letters and chance encounters with friends, the film makes clear his lack of success there mirrored his time in New York. In one particularly moving moment, it’s revealed that he even reached out to good friends like David McDermott for financial support when his position had reached dire straits. But both aid and fame seemed out of reach and Edward died suddenly in the Cote d’Azur in 2007.
Or did he? About halfway through the film’s look at Brezinski, the filmmakers introduce a mystery element to the narrative. It turns out that there’s a theory that the artist didn’t actually die in 2007, but faked his death as a way of adding value and interest to his work. It’s a twist that seems at once to come out of nowhere but also feels oddly fitting for a film about a man who spent his life trying to catch the world’s attention. Vincent and producer Heather Spore set out with Marguerite Van Cook and James Romberger to see if they can find out the truth.
Artist Frank Holliday remarks that “there will always be another Edward Brezinski. Another struggling young artist that has something to say.” He’s right of course, in a way, but Make Me Famous suggests that Brezinski might just be a one-of-a-kind. A unique artist that was a pure product of a very specific movement and moment in time. But the documentary also serves as a moving reminder that fame is far from egalitarian and often eludes even the most talented artists.
Make Me Famous is currently screening at Toronto’s Hot Docs Cinema .
